Finding a digital marketing SEO company is the key to success in 2022, but finding the right one under the right pretence is critical to success moving forward.
With internet usage rising sharply since the global pandemic, never before has there been so much online competition and new avenues to get yourself ranked as there is in 2022.
A solid and well-conceived organic SEO plan is where you need to start. Plan a marketing budget for the rest of this year and 2023, partner with a digital marketing SEO company and reap the rewards that will come your way.
In this article, we will concentrate on what to look out for to ensure you align yourself with the right SEO agency to ensure you get brand awareness and increased lead generation.
Gone are the days when a business owner could deal with the everyday running of a small to medium-sized business and conduct SEO that would see results.
So here are 7 points to consider when hiring an SEO company:
- SEO Expertise
- Years in the Industry
- Case Studies
- Too Easy – No Research
- Positive Reviews
- Tools
- White Hat Ethical SEO
- SEO Expertise
So we start with the obvious but it still has to be included.
With Google now having over 200 different ranking factors, you want a company that has experience in several industries but is also innovative and ahead of the curve moving into 2023.
Finding a company with experience, especially if your products and services are local, would be a significant advantage.
- Years in the Industry
As a rule of thumb, any company practising SEO for over a decade must be doing something right.
Also, with the seismic changes in internet usage and the primary search engine results pages (SERPs), they will have seen and overcome many hurdles and challenges.
Persistence in an ever-changing market is a perfect tool to have by your side in business.
- Case Studies
We would like to paint a rosy picture of the SEO market. Still, the fact is there are many companies out there who proclaim to be proficient at SEO but are sadly lacking.
Many companies in Western countries cannot afford the staff required to run an efficient SEO campaign and therefore outsource much of the work to other countries with cheap labour.
For some IT and tech-related instances, this can be fine, but when it comes to link building, this can be a disaster due to English not being the first language.
A common denominator is to ask for case studies and referrals. This will give you an idea of industries the company is familiar with and see how a company has progressed since they have been in a working relationship.
There is also no harm in searching for an SEO company online. As if they cannot get themselves on the first page of Google for local SEO company searches, what is the chance they can get you there?
- Too Easy – No Research
To begin with, a simplistic red flag of an SEO agency that is very quick to promise you page one of Google without a thorough interview process.
Legitimate SEO companies will explain the truth about organic SEO: it takes time, money and constant work on many facets to drive traffic and increase lead generation. Not just $1000 a month and instant results. SEO is too competitive to be achieved in the space of a few weeks. Be careful!
- Positive Reviews
As with any investment, it is good to see what the collective and majority think about a company.
TripAdvisor, for example, has been a significant help for tourists with where to stay, where to eat and what places or travel companies to use abroad. People’s personal experiences go a long way to other people’s decision-making processes.
An established SEO agency should have plenty of reviews, and anything less than four stars should ring alarm bells.
Also, remember that some business owners are very proud and don’t like to admit their weaknesses to many companies when they start a business relationship.
That pride can also damage a potential SEO campaign. So it is not always the SEO company that is at fault for unsuccessful campaigns. Still, ratings and reviews are there for a reason and should be taken seriously before buying into any sales pitch.
Another thing to look out for is a relatively new company with many five-star ratings within the first few months of its existence. This is a classic example of false reviews by employees and the owners, family and friends.
You want to see regular steady four to five-star reviews over some time.
- Tools
A reputable SEO company with many existing clients will use many analytical tools. These tools will analyse what is trending, your performance and, just as important, the performance of your competitors.
This is standard, but many business owners don’t understand the analytics and what they mean. Historical data and graphs can confuse someone who knows nothing about the stock exchange for example.
A good company should look to provide a report bi-weekly as a bare minimum. Also, be able to explain them on a level of one to ten, depending on how savvy you are with digital marketing terminology.
Understanding the tools they use and what they want to achieve with them is vital.
So the message is to make sure you align yourself with a campaign manager who can explain where your marketing budget is being spent. Also, use what tools and how they relate to your ROI.
- White Hat Practices
Google’s algorithm is now one of the most innovative master computers on earth. It is getting brighter by the nanosecond. Old keyword stuffing techniques are now easily picked up.
Invisible pages with keywords are as visible as a brick wall now to Google, so if a company takes on your project and is also conducting content curation for you, check their writing and text.
Google looks down on black hat techniques, and they will get you penalised. A Google penalty is potentially disastrous as it will take months to recover.
Asking for a detailed list of what they will work on and in what order is something you should come away from your initial meeting within their proposal.
SUMMARY
Finding a digital marketing SEO company near you is essential moving forward. Local SEO is the new buzzword within the industry, and it’s necessary to have knowledge and experience on your side. Choose carefully, but we hope some of these points will help your decision-making process.
